Editor:
Re: Legally obligated to grow, Aug. 28 letters; No legal mandate to add 7,000: Metro, Sept. 2.
After reading the mayor of White Rock write about his perception that the municipality is ‘obligated to grow’, I wonder how he would plan to do so?
It’s easy to build lots of houses, condos and apartment buildings. However, what many municipalities and their leaders haven’t completed is a capacity plan. Do the municipal and provincial leaders, many who are pro development, know how many people the lands will hold?
Aside from food and water, many of our schools, health care, policing/justice and other critical infrastructure are unable to cope with the existing population. This likely will become more complicated when we factor in climate change, such as this past summer’s drought, recent wind storms and flooding. Our present support systems may not cut it.
Has any study been undertaken to determine where municipalities should cap population in order to provide a decent quality of life to the current citizens?
In the event of transportation breakdown, would we be able to feed the current population from local farms for an extended period?
To my knowledge, there has never been a capacity plan developed that addresses the number of people the lands can adequately hold and answers to these specific questions.
So, Mayor Wayne Baldwin can whine on about promoting growth, but to what end? He and the other mayors, along with Premier Christy Clark, don’t have these answers nor have they likely contemplated them.
So, I recommend doing a capacity plan now before it’s too late. Then we can plan for our future with better understanding of what that might look like and whether we need to sacrifice something to achieve those ‘growth’ goals.
John Mackintosh, Surrey
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I don’t think our elected city mayor and councillors have an easy job, but for whatever their personal reasons were at the time, they chose to run for the position.
By accepting the position, they are implicitly agreeing to represent the citizens of White Rock.
With regards to Mayor Wayne Baldwin’s assertion that White Rock is legally obligated to create space for 7,000 new residents, he is either woefully ignorant of reality or he was deliberately trying to mislead the citizens of White Rock. Whichever the case, he has demonstrated that he’s unfit to act as mayor. Certainly, he doesn’t seem to be listening to the wishes of the residents of White Rock or have their best interests at heart.
Perhaps he and any councillors who’ve lost perspective should consider resigning from their positions.
Bruce McIntosh, White Rock
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Just a note of appreciation to Peace Arch News for drawing public attention to the White Rock highrise fiasco and the mayor’s very questionable Regional Growth Strategy interpretation.
No credibility, no mandate.
Keith Deevy, White Rock
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Hey! Relax, everyone! If the Regional Growth Strategy carries as much weight as the Official Community Plan, we have nothing to worry about – (winky face).
Michèle McManus, White Rock
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An open letter to Mayor Wayne Baldwin and council.
I admire the leadership expressed by Langley Township in fighting Metro and would expect you to do the same.
For you to say you would not be willing to go to the court “over a couple thousand people” really implies you do not care to represent our city for important issues.
You accuse Coun. Helen Fathers for being political. It is you who is being stubborn, patronizing and do not like getting corrected.
Coun. Lynne Sinclair, I understand we have to respect the guidelines we agreed to. However, please note I used the word “guidelines” and not “law” as the mayor claims.
Mayor Baldwin, if the city lawyer has advised you to write letters-to the-editor page under extreme circumstances or to correct information, what extreme circumstances prompted you to write the letter about the legal mandate? I suggest you write another letter to correct the information and apologize to the residents for misleading us.
Aroon Shah, White Rock